Yep...so you oughta know what I'm talking about.

 

Here's what I can tell you about the panhandle: The snowplow drivers apparently plow when drunk. I've never seen a more meandering path or spent so much time on the shoulder. But with a foot of snow, nobody's speeding.

Here's what I can tell you about I-35: Not much scenery unless you count the scrub brush and dirt. Dead armadillos all over the place. (Guess that armor doesn't work so well, after all. : ) I honestly don't remember if anyone was driving fast or not. But "Everyone else does it" is as good a defense as any in my book, especially if it's true and it's not unsafe.

 

Regarding those drivers who ride in your blind spot when you cut them some slack....
What I have noticed I think could be attributed to "target fixation". I notice when I pass some people, on the left, or right when necessary, regardless of an onramp, they stay with me for a period of time, but when they start falling back, because they came to their senses or whatever, they fall back quickly. Me, I'm still crusing the same speed, with the cruise control on....
Many have probably noticed this as when you are following another car, passing other vehicles. When the vehicle ahead of you gets beside, or in the blind spot, of the vehicle they are supposed to be passing, they slow down to the same speed as the vehicle they were supposed to be passing. They will eventually pass the other vehicle and speed up once they have passed it. Target fixation is the only explanation I can come up with because it would make more sense to pass the vehicle faster of you were worried about that vehicle coming over to hit you when you are passing, just because it would limit your "exposure" to the danger zone of that other vehicle.
The big problem, I think, is that people do this subconsiously.

Chris

 

Since I do drive some vehicles that are a bit extraordinary over here (my truck, customers Corvettes etc) I noted that regardless of the speed I do lots of people are fixing their attention on me and start homing in.
When I drive along with the cruise on at exactly the posted speed limit (GPS) and I try to pass another vehicle the driver very often sees the truck, and starts to accelerate to my speed when I am right beside him, and then gets drawn to the left.... had some close calls on that account.
On the base of a slope most people behind me take the left lane and are quite disoriented when the truck is just plainly gone up the hill and they're on the passing lane with nothing to pass. ;D
(Just wanting to say that there seem to be the same loose nuts behind the wheel on my side of the pond as on yours)
AlpineRAM

 

[quote author=AlpineRAM link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211331 date=1069243732]
Since I do drive some vehicles that are a bit extraordinary over here (my truck, customers Corvettes etc) I noted that regardless of the speed I do lots of people are fixing their attention on me and start homing in.
When I drive along with the cruise on at exactly the posted speed limit (GPS) and I try to pass another vehicle the driver very often sees the truck, and starts to accelerate to my speed when I am right beside him, and then gets drawn to the left.... had some close calls on that account.
On the base of a slope most people behind me take the left lane and are quite disoriented when the truck is just plainly gone up the hill and they're on the passing lane with nothing to pass. ;D
(Just wanting to say that there seem to be the same loose nuts behind the wheel on my side of the pond as on yours)
AlpineRAM
[/quote]

What I think is odd is that with a Ram in Austria, obviously pretty rare, you'd almost expect a certain amount of that. Over here, pickup trucks of one sort or another are everywhere, and people still do this. I alway refer to them as "social drivers." They want to be right next to someone, whether they're passing or being passed, so they speed up or slow down accordingly.

 

[quote author=jfpointer link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211128 date=1069199472]
Here's what I can tell you about the panhandle: The snowplow drivers apparently plow when drunk. I've never seen a more meandering path or spent so much time on the shoulder. But with a foot of snow, nobody's speeding.

Here's what I can tell you about I-35: Not much scenery unless you count the scrub brush and dirt. Dead armadillos all over the place. (Guess that armor doesn't work so well, after all. : ) I honestly don't remember if anyone was driving fast or not. But "Everyone else does it" is as good a defense as any in my book, especially if it's true and it's not unsafe.
[/quote]

Only trouble is....I-35 doesn't go through the Panhandle.

 

[quote author=Stamey link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211266 date=1069215572]
Regarding those drivers who ride in your blind spot when you cut them some slack....
What I have noticed I think could be attributed to "target fixation". I notice when I pass some people, on the left, or right when necessary, regardless of an onramp, they stay with me for a period of time, but when they start falling back, because they came to their senses or whatever, they fall back quickly. Me, I'm still crusing the same speed, with the cruise control on....
Many have probably noticed this as when you are following another car, passing other vehicles. When the vehicle ahead of you gets beside, or in the blind spot, of the vehicle they are supposed to be passing, they slow down to the same speed as the vehicle they were supposed to be passing. They will eventually pass the other vehicle and speed up once they have passed it. Target fixation is the only explanation I can come up with because it would make more sense to pass the vehicle faster of you were worried about that vehicle coming over to hit you when you are passing, just because it would limit your "exposure" to the danger zone of that other vehicle.
The big problem, I think, is that people do this subconsiously.

Chris
[/quote]

I've never noticed this. I typically speed up when passing trucks (if I'm going near the same speed as them) just for the purpose of limiting my "exposure" in the danger zone. ??? In fact, I usually do the same for cars. I don't like riding right next to someone for long periods of time.

 

[quote author=jfpointer link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211343 date=1069247014]
What I think is odd is that with a Ram in Austria, obviously pretty rare, you'd almost expect a certain amount of that. Over here, pickup trucks of one sort or another are everywhere, and people still do this. I alway refer to them as "social drivers." They want to be right next to someone, whether they're passing or being passed, so they speed up or slow down accordingly.
[/quote]
Social drivers They do also seem to be very insecure about the speed they should drive in the next bend- so if you try to pass they will accelerate to your speed (nice thing to do with oncoming traffic) and will stick close to your rear bumper... very close, got some of them that close that I didn'd even see the roof of their small car in the central mirror- at 70+ mph on a mountain road. On my old Landcruiser I had really nice turn signals- and used them to show the car I had just passed that I would change to the right lane again.

AlpineRAM

 

[quote author=Hoss link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211403 date=1069256830]
Only trouble is....I-35 doesn't go through the Panhandle.
[/quote]

Nope, those are two separate drives in two separate paragraphs.

 

[quote author=AlpineRAM link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211506 date=1069271651]
very close, got some of them that close that I didn'd even see the roof of their small car in the central mirror- at 70+ mph on a mountain road.
AlpineRAM
[/quote]

I get that a lot. Cars so close the headlights just disappear. I need to rig up a momentary switch on my brake lights or something. Yeah, I know it's completely illegal, but it has to be safer than actually hitting the brakes when they're practically parked in my bed anyway... :

 

Hoss,
Glad you don't do it. But have you ever had someone in front of you do it? This happens to me all the time, for some reason. I have the cruise set, with a decent following distance from the vehicle in front of me, but when they get close to, or beside, a big truck, usually a semi, they slow down to the speed of the semi. I notice because I am suddenly gaining on them rapidly and must cancel the cruise control. Once the person gets by the semi they speed up again.
I think it's just that people aren't paying attention.


Chris

 

Stamey,

I live in Houston and that happens to me on all the freeways here and even on the tollways. It is amazing. I think you're right with the "target fixation" theory.

Tom

 

[quote author=jfpointer link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211623 date=1069285839]Nope, those are two separate drives in two separate paragraphs.
[/quote]

Ahhhh....that makes a little more sense then.

 

[quote author=Stamey link=board=10;threadid=22513;start=15#msg211656 date=1069290997]
Hoss,
Glad you don't do it. But have you ever had someone in front of you do it? This happens to me all the time, for some reason. I have the cruise set, with a decent following distance from the vehicle in front of me, but when they get close to, or beside, a big truck, usually a semi, they slow down to the speed of the semi. I notice because I am suddenly gaining on them rapidly and must cancel the cruise control. Once the person gets by the semi they speed up again.
I think it's just that people aren't paying attention.


Chris
[/quote]

Weird. :-